The Adventurer

  A glittering host of emotions rocked him as she twisted and lifted herself against his probing hand. He was at once filled with a sense of raw, masculine power and great tenderness. He wanted to bury himself in her and find his own release before the gathering pressure drove him out of his mind. But at the same time he longed to bring her such pleasure that she would never even want to look at another man.

  "My jeans," he muttered abruptly. "Give me a second, honey." He released her to fumble with his own clothing. All his actions seemed unbelievably awkward suddenly. She was so sleek and sinuous and delicate. He felt like a great, rutting male animal next to her.

  But Sarah didn't seem to mind. In fact, she seemed to find him endlessly fascinating. Her eyes were glowing with a shimmering heat as she helped him tug off his pants. When she saw him reach into one pocket for a little plastic packet she grinned teasingly.

  "Obviously I'm not the only one who's been running around prepared for this," she said.

  He felt himself redden as he busied himself for a few seconds but he merely shook his head. "No, you're not. But I wasn't relying on intuition, just hope." He took a deep breath and tugged off the red panties. For a long moment he could only stare at the tangled triangle of hair that was revealed. He was held in thrall by the promise of what awaited him.

  Sarah seemed equally enchanted. She touched him, wonderingly at first and then more boldly, stroking him as if he were a big cat. Under her fingers Gideon began to feel like one. A sense of his own fluid grace and power filled him, washing out the awkwardness.

  She did this to him, he thought. She made him feel this way, made him glory in his own manhood.

  "I don't know if I can wait very long for you," he warned her. "I'm going up in flames. You have a hell of an effect on me."

  "That's only fair. Because you have the same effect on me."

  She kissed his throat and shoulder. He felt first her tongue and then her small teeth on his skin and he shuddered.

  She seemed to sense when he was at the end of his tether. When he grasped the ripe curve of her thigh and pushed tentatively, she went easily onto her back, reaching up to draw him down to her.

  Gideon fought for control as he watched her part her legs for him. Her silent invitation was the most compelling action he'd ever witnessed. It said without words that she was giving herself to him—that she was his.

  He could no more have resisted the siren call of her in that moment than he could have flown into the sun.

  With a short, muttered exclamation of need he slid between her thighs, astounded at the silky feel of them. He hesitated an instant, afraid once more that he was going too fast, that he might hurt her.

  But she was beckoning him into her with that ancient summons in her hazel eyes.

  He pushed slowly against her hot, damp opening, seeking an easy, gentle entry. But she was small and tight, in spite of her obvious willingness.

  "Sarah?"

  "It's all right." She stroked him gently when she felt his hesitation. "You're just right for me."

  She lifted her hips, urging him to complete the union. Gideon groaned as the last of his control left him. He surged into her, pushing through the brief resistance of small, tight muscles and on into the clinging warmth that awaited him.

  He went still for a few seconds, savoring the sensation of being inside Sarah. It was like nothing else he'd ever experienced.

  "Buried treasure." He kissed her breast.

  "What?" She was breathing quickly through her parted lips, her eyes glittering as she adjusted to him.

  "Nothing. Never mind."

  He began to move in her, slowly, powerfully. He got his hand down between their bodies and found the tiny nub hidden in her soft thatch of hair. She went wild when he touched her then.

  "Gideon."

  Suddenly she was clutching at him, her eyes widening briefly with distinct surprise before they squeezed shut. Gideon held her as she shivered in his arms. The emotions that flooded through him in that moment were chaotic and indescribable.

  Before he could even begin to sort out his feelings, the full force of his own release roared through him. The power of it drove out all other sensation.

  He heard himself call Sarah's name and then there was only a sweet, blissful exhaustion.

  SARAH DRIFTED SLOWLY up out of the dreamy web of satisfaction that had held her for several minutes. She was aware of the great weight of Gideon Trace on top of her. The deliciously crushed sensation made her smile. Her hands moved slowly on his smoothly muscled back, exploring the powerful, lean contours. He felt so right.

  There had never been any real doubt. Gideon was her knight in shining armor, her moody, taciturn, difficult hero whose grim facade hid a passionate, loyal heart.

  She had been wrong to worry about letting the lovemaking happen too soon. There had been no reason to hold off until she was sure of him. She was already sure of him. She had been since the beginning. Her intuition had not failed her.

  And even if it had, it was too late to worry about it. She was head over heels in love with the man. She had been in love with him for months.

  Sarah looked up into the trees, aware that it was now midafternoon. Branches rustled overhead. The sun that filtered through the leaves was still warm. The rock digging into her back was getting very hard.

  Gideon exhaled heavily and raised his head to gaze down into her eyes. Satisfaction and an amusing, rather arrogant, vaguely leonine contentment gleamed in his eyes.

  "You look a little like Machu Picchu," Sarah said.

  Gideon smiled slowly. "Fair enough. You look like Ellora." He kissed her lightly on the mouth. "Any regrets?"

  "None."

  "That's good because I don't think I could go back to playing your courtship game."

  "It wasn't a game. I just wanted to be sure you knew what you were doing."

  He kissed her shoulder. "How'd I do?"

  "Beast. You knew what you were doing, all right."

  He raised his head again, laughing down at her with his eyes. "Thanks. I'll assume that's a compliment."

  "The resemblance to Machu Picchu is getting stronger by the minute."

  "How's that?"

  "Well, you're getting quite heavy, for one thing." She wriggled her shoulders, trying to find a more comfortable spot on the ground.

  "And you're such a delicate little thing, aren't you? Wouldn't want to squash you." Gideon moved, rolling over onto his back and dragging her with him so that she sprawled on top of him. "Now about this treasure hunt we're on… "

  She shook her head, framing his hard face between her palms. Frowning with serious intent, she looked deep into his eyes. "Forget the treasure hunt. As of this afternoon, the earrings are no longer important. I'm still not sure why searching for them was so linked to finding you, but everything is much clearer now than it has been for the past few days."

  His brows rose in silent laughter. "Sex has made it clearer?"

  She smiled. "I suppose so. The point is, you're my important discovery, Gideon. I don't need the earrings now. They can wait." She brushed her mouth against his.

  His arms closed around her, hard and tight and strong. Sarah was sure that his kiss was saying everything he did not yet seem able to say with words. He wanted her, needed her, loved her. It was enough, more than enough for the present.

  When he freed her mouth, she was breathless again. She saw the look in his eyes and laughingly shook her head. "Oh, no. Not a second time on the ground. Not unless you're on the bottom."

  "Not that comfortable, huh?"

  "Like being trapped between a rock and a hard place."

  He grinned wolfishly. "So how did I compare to one of your heroes?"

  "Bigger." She kissed the tip of his nose. "Harder." She kissed his cheek. "Stronger." She kissed the strong line of his jaw. "Sexier." She kissed his mouth. "Much sexier. To sum it up, the reality was much better than the fantasy version, but I like to think that creating you over and over aga
in in my books prepared me for the real thing when you walked into my life."

  "I didn't exactly walk into your life. You walked into mine."

  "Details, details. Same result. A happy ending."

  The wicked satisfaction in his eyes was echoed in his laughter. "Are all romance writers experts at happy endings?"

  "It's our stock and trade. You only get two fundamental choices in the world when it comes to philosophies: optimism or pessimism. Romance writers are basically optimists at heart, just like treasure hunters."

  He gave her an odd look. "I've never thought of myself as an optimist. God knows, I'm no Pollyanna."

  "Nonsense. Under that gruff, grouchy, bristly exterior beats the heart of a man who secretly believes in the same things I do. You're just too macho to admit it."

  "You think you know me so well, don't you?"

  She smiled serenely. "Naturally. I've been studying you since I was old enough to figure out the basic differences between men and women. That's how long you've been in my head."

  He touched her hand. "You were studying a fantasy creation, not a real man."

  "I know the difference between fantasy and reality," she assured him as she sat up and reached for her shirt and jeans.

  "And you're convinced I'm real?"

  She paused in the act of buttoning her shirt, aware already of the faint soreness in her thighs. She flashed him a rueful grin. "Very real. I can still feel the effects."

  His gaze grew serious. "Did I hurt you?"

  "No, of course not. I was just teasing." She patted his cheek and began struggling into her jeans.

  "Sarah?"

  "Umm?"

  "Never mind." Gideon got slowly to his feet, pulling on his own clothing with quick, efficient movements.

  She watched him out of the corner of her eye as she began to pack up the picnic basket. Something important was going through that inscrutable mind of his but she couldn't begin to guess what it was. Perhaps he was searching for a way to tell her he loved her, she thought happily.

  Gideon leaned over to catch hold of one corner of the red-checked cloth. He pulled it back slowly, as if not sure how to refold it.

  "Here, I'll do that," Sarah offered, taking the corner of the cloth out of his hand. She shook out the old tablecloth as Gideon walked around, kicking at pine needles. "What are you doing?" she asked finally.

  "Just making sure we don't leave any sandwich wrappers behind." He used the toe of his boot to sweep back another layer of needles.

  Sarah glanced down and saw the tip of moss covered rock thrusting up out of the earth. "That's what was digging into my back when you were making love to me. No wonder I felt as if I were trapped between a rock and a—" She broke off. "Oh, my God. A rock. Gideon, it's a white rock. Look at it."

  He glanced down. "It looks like a green rock to me."

  "Rocks aren't green. It's just got a lot of moss growing on it." Sarah dropped the red cloth and knelt on the ground for a closer look. Experimentally she scraped off some of the moss with her fingernail. "It is white."

  Gideon crouched beside her. "Think so?"

  "I'm sure of it." She looked up at him with growing delight. "Gideon, this is so exciting. Maybe we've found the jewels after all. Help me dig away some of the dirt."

  Obediently he reached out and pulled away a few clods of dirt. More of the white boulder was revealed. "If this is your famous rock, it's no wonder we didn't see it when we went looking for it. It got covered up long ago in a mud slide."

  "Yes, that's exactly what must have happened." Sarah sat back on her heels, frowning. "We'll never be able to uncover it with our bare hands. We'll need tools."

  "An excellent observation." The distant sound of an engine shattered the stillness of the forest. Gideon was on his feet instantly, tugging Sarah up beside him.

  "What's wrong?" she asked, taking the picnic basket as he thrust it into her hands.

  "Nothing. But it sounds like we may have company coming. The cardinal rule of treasure-hunting expeditions is you don't reveal the location of the treasure to strangers."

  Sarah hugged the basket to her and hurried to follow him out of the woods, past the old Fleetwood homestead and on to the cabin they were renting. The sound of the engine in the distance grew louder. "Do you really think we might have found the white rock that marks one of the points on Emelina Fleetwood's triangle?"

  He threw her an amused glance over his shoulder. "What does your famous intuition tell you?"

  She frowned, trying to sort out the jumbled impressions in her head. "I'm not sure," she said slowly. "I think that white rock is the one we've been looking for, but…"

  "But what?" The engine roar was closer now.

  "But I just don't feel much urgency about the whole thing." She grinned. "Not that finding a fortune in gems is totally uninteresting, of course. I'm not that laid back about it all."

  "I'd wonder at your sanity if you were."

  "Well, it certainly would be great fun to turn them up. But like I said, they're not as important as they once were." Sarah abandoned the effort to explain. "Never mind. Here comes our visitor and you're right about one thing—I don't want some stranger to get his hands on them. Those earrings are Fleetwood earrings."

  A black Jeep roared around the bend in the road. Instead of going on past the isolated cabin, it turned into the long, winding drive as if whoever was behind the wheel knew exactly where he was going.

  "You tell anyone else you were coming up here?" Gideon asked, his gaze on the Jeep as it drew closer to the cabin.

  "Sure, a couple of people, including my friend Margaret Lark. But she doesn't own a Jeep and neither does anyone else I know. Maybe it's our landlord."

  "No, I don't think so." Gideon reached the front step of the cabin and drew her to a halt beside him as the Jeep entered the yard. His gaze never left the vehicle.

  The Jeep came to a halt in a cloud of dust. Sunlight glinted on the windshield, obscuring the view of the driver. Sarah experienced a sudden shaft of deep uneasiness.

  "Gideon?"

  He didn't respond. His whole attention was on the Jeep. She sensed the tension in him.

  The door of the Jeep cracked open with a flourish. A black boot, so brilliantly polished that it caught the sun, hit the ground. Something silver glinted at the heel.

  "Hell," Gideon said.

  The man who got slowly out of the Jeep was as spectacular as his boots. He moved with laconic grace, well aware he was making an entrance and obviously enjoying it. His hair was as black and gleaming as his footwear. His eyes were blue, a bright, devilish sapphire blue.

  There was no doubt the stranger had been ruggedly good-looking at one time. He still was, to be perfectly honest. The chin and nose and cheekbones were all well chiseled. But Sarah could see that there had always been an underlying weakness and the years were starting to reveal it.

  He wore khaki pants tucked into the tops of the high, dashing boots and a shirt that had a large number of pockets, epaulets and flaps on it. The clothes fit him so precisely they might have been hand-tailored.

  "He looks like something out of a men's fashion magazine," Sarah whispered.

  "Plenty of flash, all right. But, then, he always had that."

  She frowned up at Gideon but he was still watching the newcomer. The stranger smiled, an easy, knowing, charming grin that revealed sparkling white teeth. Sarah's sense of unease grew a hundredfold. She knew she was not going to like this man, whoever he was.

  "Hello, Gideon. I hear the last name is Trace now, is that right? Nice touch. That's all you left behind when you changed your identity, wasn't it? Just a trace. It's taken me a while to find you but it looks like I finally did it with the help of Ms. Fleetwood here. Long time, no see, Gid. How's it going, buddy?"

  "Sarah," Gideon said, "meet Jake Savage."

  "My pleasure, Ms. Fleetwood. But I believe we already know each other."

  She stared at him. "We do?" But her intuition was already
giving her the answer. Something about this man was awfully familiar even though she knew she had never met him. That voice…

  "Jim Slaughter, owner and operator of Slaughter Enterprises, at your service. We had the pleasure of exchanging a few letters and a couple of calls regarding an expedition to find a downed plane full of gold, remember? You declined to invest. I'm still hoping to change your mind on that subject, by the way. I think we could do a lot for each other, Ms. Fleetwood."

  "You're Slaughter?" She was horrified. It was beginning to dawn on her that she was the one who had led him to this place. She'd mentioned the Fleetwood Flowers to him. "Why did you change your name? I don't understand any of this."

  "I had to change my name about the same time as Gideon here changed his, ma'am. But that's all in the past now."

  "I thought you were dead, Mr. Savage," she said.

  Savage chuckled. "So did a lot of people, including my old partner, here, right, Gid?"

  Partner. Sarah looked at Gideon. "You were his partner? The partner you said disappeared in the jungle along with Mr. Savage?"

  Gideon didn't bother to reply. His eyes were still on the swashbuckling figure of his former associate. "What brings you back to life after all this time, Jake?"

  "Got some big plans, Gid, old pal. Thought you might be interested in going back into partnership. Like I said, I've been looking for you for a while. I had a hunch you weren't any more dead than I was. You're a hard man to kill. Who'd have guessed I'd have found you through the charming Ms. Fleetwood? Piece of luck, huh?"

  Gideon's brows rose sardonically. He slid a speculative glance toward Sarah. "How did you find me through the charming Ms. Fleetwood?"

  "Simple enough," Jake said easily. He grinned his engaging grin at Sarah. "The little lady contacted me five months ago wanting to know if I'd be interested in helping her do some research. I did a little research myself and decided Sarah and I could be very useful to each other. So I offered her a chance to participate in a real-life search for lost gold."